via arabawy : Join the delegation to the Egyptian Embassy in London Thursday 7th August, 4.30pm Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, 26 South Street, London W1K 1DW Solidarity with the people of Mahalla / Stop the show trial of Egyptian protestors.A date of 9 August has been set for the trial of 49 Egyptian citizens accused of various crimes and arrested during the uprising in Mahalla on 6 and 7 April. We will be gathering to hand in the letter of protest below, which has already been signed by over 500 people including leading activists from the PCS, CWU and UCU unions, and anti-war campaigners.

Return names to cairoconference@stopwar.org.uk by 6 August for inclusion in the petition.For more information about the trial see this solidarity website organised by campaigners in Egypt: http://abtalelmahalla.blogspot.com/ (English translation at bottom of page)

We the undersigned express our full solidarity with the 49 Egyptian citizens, whom the Mubarak regime has decided to prosecute in an Emergency High State Security Criminal Court, accused of involvement in the two day uprising in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla in April. On the 6th and 7th of April, Mubarak’s troops occupied, Ghazl el-Mahalla, the biggest textile mill in the Middle East, home to 27,000 workers, aborting a strike announced by the independent Textile Workers’ League in protest at spiraling food prices and to demand a raise in the minimum wage which has remained stagnant since 1984.

The troops used live ammunition, tear gas, water cannons and sticks against the peaceful protestors in the town who took to the streets after the crushing of the strike. At least three were killed, and hundreds were injured and detained. The 49 detainees face a list of trumped up charges, to which some have confessed under torture. They will be tried in an exceptional court, systematically denounced by human rights watchdogs for lacking the international standards for a “safe and just trial.”We call on the Egyptian dictatorship to release them immediately.